by: Peter Holmes
At the end of Natalie Merchant's new album, Ophelia, is a gentle Celtic lament, When They Ring The Golden Bells.
Written 111 years ago, its presence as a sparsely arranged acoustic track is a timely reminder that at the end of the 20th century - in the post-sampler, post-sequencer, post-Beck days - the relevancy and potency of purist folk music in the right hands is undiluted.
"I don't know if there is a lot of pressure on musicians today to use technology, but I think a lot of people are curious about it. It makes them feel more modern," said Merchant, the former 10,000 Maniacs lead singer who will make her debut Sydney performance next Sunday.
"I'm still more of a traditionalist. There is so much to be learned from the past. I'm not really going to re-invent the pop song or re-invent any traditional or contemporary instruments. I'm just trying to look for a way to string together a group of notes and some lyrics that move people."
Merchant apologised for her tardiness in coming to the phone: "I met Paddy Maloney from the Chieftains when I was in Ireland, and the reason we were a little late calling was that we went into the studio and recorded a traditional song together today. It was amazing.
"I've been listening to the Chieftains since I was about 14 years old, and it's for an album of all-female singers doing traditional songs: Sinead O'Connor, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Mary Chapin Carpenter. It's been a great day."
A teenager growing up in America's heartland in the 70s getting off on the Chieftains? Please explain.
"I probably borrowed them from the library because I couldn't afford to buy records," Merchant said.
"At the same time I was also listening to glitter rock. I had a lot of older friends who were into world music. We were listening to the folk music of the British Isles but at the same time we were listening to West African high-life guitar and a lot of classic rock.
"That was all kind of shattered by the arrival of The Clash. Suddenly there was something really contemporary-sounding and really powerful. The punk movement took our attention for a while, but I never forgot those melodies that I learned from Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span."
Recorded with a permanent rhythm section (Joe Jackson's bassist Graham Maby and Peter Yanowitz) and a revolving group of guest singers and players, including Daniel Lanois, N'Dea Davenport and Tibetan devotional singer Yungchen Llhatno, Ophelia is a more sombre affair than her four-million selling solo debut, 1995's Tigerlily.
"My vision (before recording) isn't that clear," Merchant said. "I sometimes think that to have that kind of vision is difficult and dangerous because then you have all these expectations.
"All I wanted to do was to work with a large group and a wide variety of people. I built a studio in my home so I could invite people into a comfortable and natural environment.
"I was really pleased with the way the album turned out, and I still am, but I don't know how long that will be for. I tend to have about a two-year time span when I'm happy with the record and then I need to make another one because I'm not happy anymore. I just burn out on the material because I tour for a year after I release an album, and I want to prove that I can do it better."
While Ophelia's songs bob along gently and lack the oomph of some of Tigerlily and 10,000 Maniacs's up-tempo moments, the material is always saved by Merchant's low-key, heartbreaking vocals.
"I don't think of myself as having a particularly good voice technically, but it has been said that it soothes people," she said. "I sometimes wish I had a voice that could stir people up more.
"I find that you can't have everything in yourself. Someone like (Pearl Jam's) Eddie Vedder, he can do things with his voice that are very powerful that I can't do because I don't have that range.
"Women like Sinead O'Connor can hit notes I can only dream of. Then there's Aretha Franklin, who has all the power, range and emotion. I think I'm getting closer to the true voice. It is something that develops as my confidence grows."